January 31, 2016

Sunday mornings we have an informal get together and play racquetball....sometimes there are 3 of us, and other times there are 6. Not matter how many we have, we find a way to play.

(Bing images)

And yeah, sometimes we play with the guys who show up on Sunday too. Which will really get your adrenaline going, because it's a bit scary, what with how hard they hit the ball. We don't usually play singles, but doubles, so sometimes the court feels a little bit crowded. We bump into each other, and come close to clocking someone if they get to close. As we all play together fairly frequently, we are pretty good about holding back and playing the point over if we feel we might hit someone whether it be with racquet or ball. The ball bruises are pretty hideous, as you see below.

I've never had one that was this bad. The ball was traveling pretty fast! (Bing images)

The worst part about getting these bruises is that they take quite awhile to completely go away, and even then you might still see a faint discoloration months later.

It occurs to me that this might turn off a few of you to the game, but it truly doesn't happen very often ~ except at tournaments. I rarely play tournaments, simply because they are incredibly time consuming and I don't usually have that available.

January 24, 2016

While reading my class assignment (Anthropology class), I had a little epiphany about myself.....I suppose that you're never too old to come to a new conclusion.

I had been feeling rather resentful that my Mom had not called me on my birthday, nor did my sister or eldest son (although I did have birthday wishes on Facebook, which seem the cowards way out). These feelings were leading to a review of my behavior in recent months, and after reading the assignment, I realized that I hold everyone at arms length. I don't allow others to help me when I need it. I brush off helpful friends and family when they offer to support me/us.

This behavior is, in my opinion, the direct result of a rather traumatic time when I was a teenager ~ I don't really want to go into a lot of detail, but includes sexual abuse (not rape though).

I did not receive any support during that time from anyone, really. The focus was placed on the perpetrator and spouse of the perpetrator. Once the ugly story came out, I was essentially out of the picture. Which was OK with me at the time, as I wanted as much distance from it as possible. Little did I know how this incident would shape my personality to such an extent. And I wonder why it never occurred to me before.

Unfortunately, it goes a little further than that, in that when I do expect some help, I make people jump all kinds of hoops before I allow it. I suppose that I subconsciously want them to prove to me that they care, and want to help, and only then would it be graciously received. However, this doesn't happen very often. And of course, I become unhappy and resentful when they don't do all of this hoop jumping. **sigh**

This is all my own issue/problem. I can't expect that my family would understand, when I barely understand it myself. I do feel a bit broken by it all, and feel uncertain how to stop a behavior I've been practicing for years.....no, decades. It is something I shall have to work on.

January 23, 2016

I just finished watching Madison win her match against Ivanovic...it was edge of the seat play, with Ivanovic winning the first set...Madison showed her perseverance to come back and win. I really love watching her play, and I'm taking notes on how she manages her emotions when losing a match. You can see the determination and drive take over, although of course there monents of frustration and irritation....especially when you blow a seemingly easy shot.

Milos Raonic, Bing images.

After watching Milos in his recent win over Lopez, I realize why I love to watch him play ~ he's very disciplined and has the potential to be one of the top 5 players. When looking for his photo, I was amused to note that his tongue is sticking out in nearly every shot. He apparently now wears a mouth guard when he plays, and I wonder if that is to help him from having silly shots like this posted on the internet. He's an awsome player though.

Rafael Nadal, Bing images.

Although Nadal has been playing much better of late, I was really saddened to see that he lost in the first round of play in Australia. Truthfully, I hope he can find a way to be back on top. He's not bad to look at either, although his talisman of movements before he serves is annoying. (If you watch, then you know what I mean)

Andy Murray, Bing images.

Andy's climb to the top appeals to all who love an underdog story. It is plain to see that he has worked extremely hard to win his way to a top ranking. Andy is one of my favorite players ~ which can create a tiny bit of tension with friends who prefer Nadal. No one I know really likes Djokovic, although all of my "tennis friends" admire his ability on the court. I hope Andy will win in Australia!

January 18, 2016

Hello. According to my class schedule, I am (or should be) in class. I checked it twice. I put the date, time, building name and room number in my phone. And today, I pretty much planned my whole day around being in class at 4pm.

When I drove past the northern end of the campus on my way to the parking garage, I thought "this isn't the look of a parking lot on campus on the first day of classes for the semester". But, as I had checked, my class schedule says 1/18/2016 @ 4pm. I supposed that perhaps the evening classes (yeah, they believe 4pm are evening classes) might begin even though the day classes didn't. So, as I think about what I just wrote it sounds dumb.

I parked & paid, because the parking nazi's campus parking police are pretty hard core at UNM. I did get a ticket once because I didn't drive away before my time expired, because I was very ill and couldn't. I did get that ticket forgiven, although they were quite clear that there was still a violation. Hmph.

I walked to the building and of course it was locked. And yet, I still asked a couple of young ladies to be sure. I like to be thorough.

So, how hard would it have been to put on the schedule that the classes that are on Monday would start on Jan. 25? I think UNM needs a better IT department.

I have never worked anywhere where I had MLK Day off with pay, although admittedly I've never worked for the postal service, governmental agency (city or state), or in public school system. They get every conceivable day off with pay, whereas I only get 5. But, hey, whatever. I work 4 days a week, and am perfectly happy with my paid holidays. So, I am giving myself a break and not telling myself I'm stupid, or that I probably should have called last week to make sure.

January 11, 2016

I have no idea where this came from, someone posted it to a group text, and I had to have it.

Yes, I started this post on Sunday. All I managed to get done was the title, ha ha. Sunday was a very nice day ~ sleeping in a little, drinking coffee while in my pj's, a couple hours of racquetball, then a quiet afternoon. We are also glued to Downton Abbey Sunday nights. It's the final season, and supposed to "wrap up unanswered questions". So far I'd say they are doing a splendid job.

Found this fab image on Bing....my favorite cast member, the Dowager Countess.

Nice little play here with the Game of Thrones throne.

She nearly considers herself the queen, lol.

A lot of fans claim to love the costumes, and although I think they're nice enough ~ lots of attention to detail ~ I am not a fan of the flapper style. I thought they did nothing to enhance a woman's figure.

Here's what I mean.....

Apparently all the "ladies" of the manor wore gloves most of the time.

Except when they're eating ~ good call there.

I have no idea why there is a red circle in this photo.

Anyway, it's great to have a show on that we love with no commercials. Thank you, PBS.

If you haven't ever watched the show, it's great for those of us that love history. The series begins before WWI, and after ~ the after being a time when many manor's came on hard times. Many of them sold out, or sold much of the land around their castles. Because, dang, that is a castle.

This is Downton Abbey. Still owned by the original family, I think.

The series has provided the family with much needed funds to repair and maintain the manor.

January 4, 2016

It has really been cold here in Albuquerque. Usually our winters are pretty mild, and in the city our snow doesn't last very long......most of the time it's gone in 24 hours except for the areas in perpetual shade. Finally the temp's have approached 40, so I can finally remove a layer. Looks like California will have a break from it's terrible drought, but the down side to that is flooding and mud slides. Here in New Mexico, our winter playgrounds have enough snow for skiing and snowboarding, and there are a few that hadn't opened at all for a few years that are more than happy. Mostly, I'm just sick of the cold weather. My Dec. utility bill has come, but I haven't looked at it yet. If you hear a scream where ever you are, it's probably me.

On the happy side of the equation, a siberian tiger is keeping company now with his or her erstwhile meal. I think there might be a lesson for us in this, but I haven't figured it out yet. Ha ha.

January 2, 2016

Ha ha, I thought these little finger puppets were very demonstrative of my current mood.

Earlier today I was attempting to write, and Romeo started banging around (he always makes a lot of noise when he is frustrated, irritated, annoyed or just plain ol' mad). It's been a rather lazy day, that strangely feels a lot like a Sunday....although I don't know why, it just does. Around 2pm I decided to get started ~ or restarted ~ on my history class. It's been 8 weeks since I've done anything on it. At least. I'm not sure that the lack of deadlines is a good idea for me, lol.

Before I delve into this afternoons situation, I must explain that I had (note the word had) an office upstairs. I used it mainly when I needed somewhere quiet to work or study. Well, when Romeo was laid off, he was set up in our "dining room" ~ which isn't used as a dining room, but sort of a sitting room with a couple of chairs, a table, and an old armoire that we use as a bookcase/storage cabinet. This went on for a month or so, and then one day announced he was setting up in my office space because the other room wasn't working for him anymore. Essentially kicking me out of the office I had set up. Which kinda pissed me off, but being me, I didn't say anything. And of course, if I said I needed it, he would clean off the desk. Temporarily.

It's not like I had a hissy fit of my own. Truthfully I rarely shut myself up in the office. So, since he's busy working on his resume and applying for jobs, I figured I could sacrifice my office to him for awhile.

If at all possible, I set up my books and computer on the kitchen table. It's a very large table. If Romeo is sitting across from me, I have to stand up to pass the salt. When dinner time rolls around, I just stack everything on the end of the table I'm working at. Most of the time, it works well. Lately, it seems that whenever I get on the computer to work or blog or whatever, he seems inclined to enter the kitchen and create a racket. He did that this morning, and he did it again just a few minutes ago. Really?? The dishes that were dry after washing could have waited. In fact, I just now had to tell him to quit bugging me. Which makes me feel a little bit bad because he is trying to be nice "do you need anything" kind of question. On the fucking hour.

I never have any alone time anymore.

And it's driving me batshit.

Ok, so now that I've amazed you at my wedded bliss, what's going on with you?

Right after Christmas, we were on the receiving end of a nice winter storm. In Albuquerque, there were over 100 auto accidents on the Saturday after the holiday, and the temp's were so cold, the roads were still pretty ugly on Sunday. I wasn't happy to miss racquetball, but had no desire to listen to Romeo tell me that my winter driving skills suck (which they kinda do, but I wasn't interested in hearing it). Although I do have 4WD, I so rarely use it, and need to pull the manual out to refresh my memory. My next vehicle will not have 4WD. It's a waste of gas, and I use it maybe twice every 2 years. I really feel for the folks in Roswell, who received some rain, then snow and very cold temp's...and the city doesn't have any cinder/salt spreaders nor do they have snow plows. I understand all shut down, because the roads were too treacherous (see above).

On Monday, driving to work was a bit dicey, but I made it just fine, and after that the roads cleared up. If we do get snow, I prefer it on a Friday or Saturday in hopes that the roads on Monday will be clear. I love looking at the snow, but not driving in it.

Did anyone else see the FB post that Willie Nelson died? I figured it was a hoax, and it turned out to be just that. I got caught believing that Betty White had passed away until a friend pointed out that it wasn't true. Same for Willie. Why do people do this? On the plus side, after the Betty incident, I look at those things with a jaundiced eye.

Well, Romeo is having a hissy fit trying to make sourdough bread, banging stuff around and such, so I'm cutting this short for now.